The present invention claims priority from United Kingdom (GB) patent application number 0208950.6, filed Apr. 19, 2002.
The invention relates to a resilient device, and more particularly to a resilient device for reducing the effect of play in a splined connection.
When rotatable members, such as a drive shaft and a brake disc, are drivably interconnected by mating external and internal splines, play between the splines can result in a noisy interconnection. The noise problem, which is typically a rattling noise, is a caused by a small amount of relative rotary movement between the mating internal and external splines. The play between the mating splines allows the mating splines to strike each other. If the clearance between the mating splines is reduced to minimize play, the rattling can be substantially reduced or prevented. However, smaller clearances increase the risk that the mating splines will jam together. It is difficult to achieve a balance where the clearance is sufficient to prevent jamming and yet not large enough to allow excessive rattling between the mating splines.
There is a desire for a device or structure that can reduce play in a splined connection without increasing the likelihood of jamming.
The present invention is a resilient device made from a resilient sheet material and having a mounting portion and two flanges each bent in a first direction from the mounting portion. The flanges are substantially parallel and spaced apart from each other by the mounting portion to form a substantially U-shaped profile. The inventive resilient device also includes an arm that is initially bent in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction, from the mounting portion, and then bent again to lie adjacent to the mounting portion. The arm has a wavy shape with at least one crest portion and one trough portion. In one embodiment, when the resilient device is disposed between splines on the drive shaft and the brake disc, the crest and trough portion engage with the splines on the drive shaft.
When the resilient device is fitted between rotatable members having mating splines, the device tightens the connection between the members so that the risk of noise is minimized without substantially increasing the risk of jamming.